Return to Moonacre
by elking7541
Summary: The valley is safe and all is well. Or is it? What happens when there is a new threat that could destroy Moonacre and everyone in it? Will Robin and Maria ever admit they like each other? This story picks up at the end of the movie :) Disclaimer: I do not own the secret of moonacre or the little white horse!
1. Chapter 1

**Hello my dears! This is the first chapter of my story. I know it's pretty short but it is only so i can introduce you to the story. I hope you enjoy this first chapter, and remember to R and R and also follow/favorite :)**

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I stood at the top of the cliff looking down. My breathing became shallow, and I could hardly think. I looked back at the two families behind me, stuck in the darkness. I too had almost been one of them. I said my goodbyes in my head, and proceeded to jump off the ledge. I could hear the shouts of objection behind me, but i dared not look back. I hit the water like a ton of bricks and wiped the pearls off that had become ingrained in my dress. They rushed to the bottom of the deep blue ocean, and I smiled to myself, knowing that the darkness had now ceased above me. Then, I blacked out. The first thing I remember is waking up on a magnificent white horse, just like the one in my story book. My family rushed to me, showering me with love and hugs. I was glad to be alive and be able to share in this glorious event. The curse was now broken. I looked over and saw Robin who was giving me a half smile.

"Were you worried, Robin?" I asked him as I walked closer to him.

"Psh, no. Anyone could have done that." He replied. Loveday wopped her brother on the back of his head and then made her way to my Uncle Benjamin. I was quite positive that there was going to be a wedding, and my assumption was correct. After reuniting with Ms. Heliotrope and Wralph, the De Noirs were all invited back to the manor for a feast. Marmaduke Scarlett ran on in front of us so that he could get a head start preparing the meal, and the rest of us slowly walked behind. I walked beside Robin, and after almost twenty minutes, he still had not said a word to me.

"Robin are you alright?" I said to the bird-boy. Oh how he despises that name, which is exactly why I tend to use it when addressing him.

"Hm? Oh yes, Maria. I am perfectly fine." There was a hint of sarcasm in his tone, and I immediately knew he was not being truthful.

"The curse is broken! You should be happy! And I know for a fact that you are not." I replied. He looked at me straight in my eyes and chuckled.

"That is the reason I am uneasy. I have spent my entire life working to make sure the curse was never broken, and I was the one to help you break it."

"And we are all still alive because you helped me." I said with a laugh.

"I guess that is true." He smiled a smile I had never seen before. It was one with a true sense of relief and confidence. I had never noticed how much I loved his smile. We continued to walk until we came to the manor. I could tell that Robin and his father had hesitated when starting to go inside. We all took our places in the dining room, and when Marmaduke sat the food down in front of us, I forgot all of my table manners and scarfed down the food. I didn't think anyone would mind considering I had just saved all of their lives. I had to help Robin a few times with his manners, because he said he wanted to make a good impression. Loveday watched as Robin and I talked. From the day I met Robin she always seemed to have this fantasy that we would end up together one day. Me and Robin? That is one hundred percent not possible! Right?

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**Is it possible? Yes? No? Oh so many questions that I will not answer until later on! I hope you enjoyed the first Chapter and I shall be updating with Chapter 2 very soon. R and R and follow/favorite please!**

**Until next time my dears!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello my dears! Here I am with chapter 2 :) I hope you all enjoy this chapter and I shall see you at the bottom of the page!**

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After we bid our farewells to the De Noirs, and I gave my goodnights to my family, I went up the stairs to my tower. When I was about to jump off the cliff, I honestly believed I would never see these hallways or my tiny bedroom door ever again. I hastily changed out of my dress and sat it over on my chair. The soft fabric of my nightgown felt like a cloud, and I couldn't help but smile at the comfort it gave me. As I got in my bed I looked up at the ceiling to find that all the stars had now returned back to their spots. I sighed, knowing that I could sleep without having to worry about breaking the curse and keeping the De Noirs off my tail.

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**ROBIN'S POV**

We said our goodbyes to the Merryweathers and my sister, and luckily Digweed offered to drive us back home. The ride back to the castle was agonizing. I was so tired from the suspense and conflict of the day. There were only two things on my mind at the moment, and the main one was my bed. My second thought was, now that the curse was broken, what was I to do with my life? I spent over half of it training to find and kill the moon princess at all costs. Now that that was no longer an issue, I realized that I had no goals for my life.

"Father, may I ask you a question." I asked my father as I broke the silence of the carriage ride.

"What is it, my boy." He asked, looking up at me.

"Now that the curse is broken, what am I to do with my life?" He looked me straight in the eyes, and realized himself that he had not thought about it very much.

"I suppose now I should teach you how to rule a kingdom and prepare you to take my place when I pass on. Of course, that is also something that can be done later on since you are still young. I suppose if you have any other goals you may pursue them." He replied.

"I guess I would like to explore more of the forest. There must be some places that I have not yet seen." I replied. Maybe I would take Maria out with me tomorrow and show her some of my favorite places. It was all quite weird now to think that Maria and I might possibly be becoming friends. Nevertheless, friends or not, if she is going to be in the forest at all she should know where she is going. It would be the nice thing to do if I helped her learn her way around.

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**MARIA'S POV**

I woke up to the sound of Loveday bringing me my morning dress. I sat up in my bed, and I saw a big smile on her face as she came through the door.

"It is quite strange bringing you a dress through your main door instead of the secret passage." She said as she layed the dress down at the foot of my bed.

"How did you sleep, my dear?" She asked as she sat down beside me.

"Is it not early?" I replied. Normally Loveday would bring in my dress very early in the morning, so it would be hard for me to believe if it was in any way past 6 o'clock.

"Maria you have slept past breakfast. It is now almost noon." She said with a laugh. My eyes shot wide open and I jumped up to put on my dress. Loveday had outdone herself this time. The dress was a moonlit blue that complimented my skin tone rather well. There was a complex pattern made out of black ribbon, and I sat there for a minute just admiring the stitching. I then grabbed my hair brush, sat down at my vanity, and untangled the fire that was my red hair.

"The main reason I came to wake you up is because Robin is downstairs waiting for you." Loveday said as she walked up behind me.

"Robin? What on earth is he doing here." I said, turning my attention back to my mirror.

"He said he was going out to some of his favorite places in the forest and wanted you to accompany him." I thought for a moment. Did I really want to spend my day with the arrogant bird boy? Well, I guess new experiences could be worth the while. I thanked Loveday and followed her down the stairs to go meet Robin.

"Ah, Maria. So glad to see you up and about so early." Uncle said with a hint of sarcasm as I came in the room.

"I shall have you know I did not sleep as long as some people in this house." I said smiling and pointing to Wralph, who was asleep by the fire.

"Well, Maria. Wralph did die once. Of course he is tired!" He said laughing.

"Well, I jumped off a cliff for all of your lives." I said as I kissed him on the cheek.

"Good morning, princess." A voice behind me said. I could recognize it anywhere. I walked over closer to him and took his signature trade mark, his bowler hat, right off his head and placed it on my own.

"It suits me better than it does you. Shall we?" I said walking towards the door. He smiled to his sister and ran to catch up with me. This was sure to be an interesting afternoon.

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**Well there is chapter 2! I hope you all enjoyed it. Exams are next week for me, so I will be very busy for the next couple of days, but don't worry :) I will update as soon as possible! Remember to follow/favorite and also R and R!  
Until next time my dears!**


	3. Chapter 3

**BONUS CHAPTER! As my Holiday present to all of my viewers I am giving this chapter out early so that you all can go ahead and read on :) I hope you all will have wonderful holidays coming up soon and I hope you enjoy this chapter! Remember to favorite/follow and R and R! See you at the bottom of the page! :)**

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Robin and I had wandered through the forest for what seemed like hours, even though I am pretty sure it was not quite that long. I looked at all the different trees as we walked, and to me...it all just looked the same. I looked over to Robin periodically, who seemed to know exactly where he was going. You have to admire how well he knows the forest, compared to me who saw everything as the same.

"Robin, do you know where we are going?" I asked him.

"Yes, and don't you dare start nagging, because I want it to be a surprise. It is one of my favorite spots that I discovered when I was a child, and I go there as often as possible." He replied. I dared not ask anything more, knowing that I was not going to get any more information out of the bird-boy. So, I decided I would change the subject until we got there.

"Are you excited about the wedding?" I asked.

"I suppose so. It still is a good ways away. Doesn't it take up to six months or something to plan that big of an event?" He replied as he helped me step over a log.

"Back in London it did, but here I did not know. Loveday and Uncle have tons of help planning. It could be two weeks from now, or two months, or maybe even two years before they decide to get married." I said in a laugh. Robin smiled. I could not quite see what his real thoughts were on the event. Did he not like my uncle? Did he not want his sister to be taken away after he hadn't seen her in so long? Or was he totally happy about it and not revealing it? It made me utterly frustrated that I could not see how he felt on some things. After a few more minutes Robin stopped, and told me to close my eyes, so I did as he said. He led me forward and I felt vines cross over my cheeks, and then I felt the moisture that was the air.

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**ROBIN'S POV**

Maria seemed frustrated that I did not give a direct answer on the wedding subject. To be honest, I liked Maria's uncle, but it had been so many years since I had seen my sister, and only ten minutes later did she get engaged. I tried not to think about it. I told myself that I could still go visit her whenever I felt like, but it was such an ordeal to travel through the forest every single time I needed to ask her a simple question or if I needed something. I dropped the thought out of my mind and focused on where we were going. I knew Maria would love where I was taking her. As a child it was where I would escape to when my father was in a bad mood, or if I just wanted to get away from being a De Noir for a while.

"Okay, princess. Close your eyes." I said. She hesitated for a minute, judging whether to trust me or not. Sure enough she closed her eyes. Before she would open her eyes again I wanted to get my hat back, so I did. My head was becoming awful lonely without it. I led her through the vines of the weeping willow tree above us.

"Alright, you can open your eyes now." I said. She slowly opened them and she was filled with wonder. The place we were at was surrounded by rock walls and trees and was nothing but a pit looking lake at the bottom. It was almost like our own little hideaway. If you looked towards the sky you could see a waterfall that dumped into the lake, and rocks that made a ledge behind it. I grabbed her hand and we ran to climb up the rocks and get on the ledge behind the waterfall.

"Robin, this is truly glorious! However did you find this place?" She asked, trying to speak loud enough so I could hear her over the sounds of the falling water.

"Out strolling one day I heard the rushing water, and I followed it! I ended up at the top of the waterfall looking down, and then I figured out how to get in from the bottom." I replied. She got a devious smile on her face, and turned to face me. She backed up closer to the ledge and I got scared she would fall. I grabbed her shoulders to keep her from falling.

"You know bird boy, your hat really does suit your head, but I also thinks it suits me better." She said. She reached up between my arms and grabbed my hat, and before I knew it she fell backwards off the cliff and did a dive into the water. I could not believe that she would scare me like that.

"If you want it, then I dare you to come get it!" She said as she rose up out of the water. Her firey red hair was now a dimmed auburn, and her skin was now silky looking in the sun.

"Oh, princess. Leather is such a hassle to get dry." I said as I looked down at my layers of clothing.

"Well then I shall just have to keep it forever!" She said laughing. She dove back down under water, my hat in hand. I sighed, knowing she would keep it as long as possible if I did not try to retrieve it. I quickly took off my leather jacket and my feathers and layed them gently beside me. I guess my leather pants would be the one to suffer. I looked down and found Maria at the very far end of the lake.

"Here goes nothing!" I yelled. I got a running start and ran off the edge, feeling the wind in my hair. I hit the water so hard that the water looked like large ocean waves when I came up.

"Now, princess. You got me in the lake, now give me the hat." I said as I swam over to her.

"I do not have it." She said smiling. I heard a roar, and looked over to see that Wralph had caught up with us. There he was, dry as could be, with my bowler hat hanging out of his mouth. My jaw dropped to the bottom of the lake. I am now soaking wet, and a lion has my hat.

"You think you are so clever..." I said to Maria. She couldn't help but laugh as she watched me climb out of the lake, with my leather pants making a squeaking sound as I walked. I was still somewhat afraid of the menacing beast, more so now that he was a fierce lion and not a fluffy dog.

"Alright, Wralph. Hand it over." I said to the furry beast. If he was human, I had no doubt that he would be laughing at this moment. He dropped the hat at my feet, and when I bent down to get it, I was knocked flat on my back and showered with wet lion slobber. When Wralph was satisfied he trotted over to Maria and let her grab on to him as she got out of the lake.

"Okay, okay. I believe I have given you a rough enough day as pay back for trying to capture me." She said as she tried to squeeze the water out from her dress.

"Simply following orders madam." I replied. She smiled and walked over to me.

"Why don't we head back so we can get ready for dinner." She said.

"It's still pretty early." I replied.

"I know, but I am sure to get a scolding from Ms. Heliotrope about my wet appearance, and that could take hours." She said with a laugh. I climbed back up the ledge and grabbed my jacket and feathers. I hadn't been this happy in a long time. Truly, I really hadn't.

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**So there you have the next chapter! I shall update again sometime next week! I hope you all enjoyed it! Happy Holidays everyone! Remember to favorite/follow and R and R! :)**

**Shoutouts:**

**lillideathflower: Thank you for following the story and I hope you are enjoying it so far! :) Thanks for the support!**

**roseinthegarden: Thank you as well for following me! I love to know that people are enjoying the story!**

**Well that is all for tonight! ****Until next time my dears!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello my dears! Here is chapter three of my story :) Between studying for exams I just found some time to post it! Remember to R and R and also follow/favorite! I shall see you at the bottom of the page!**

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Robin and I strolled back to the manor, in no hurry whatsoever to get back. I looked down at my dress and laughed as the soaking wet fabric dripped water to the ground. Ms. Heliotrope would not be pleased, but that was no matter. I was used to getting lectures about my dirty dresses now that I lived in Moonacre. We quietly walked into the manor, and I immediately ran upstairs to change, hoping that no one would notice. Thankfully, no one did. I came back down the stairs in a fresh red dress and met Robin at the steps.

"I saw your father's horse as we came in. He must have beaten us here. Perhaps you better go see him and I will join Loveday and Ms. Heliotrope in the other room." I said. Robin agreed and we went our separate ways. I knocked softly on the parlor door and they let me in.

"Ah, Maria dear! We were worried you were never coming back." Ms. Heliotrope said. I laughed and sat down in my favorite chair.

"What are we discussing?" I asked as I smoothed out the wrinkles in my dress. Loveday looked at Ms. Heliotrope, who then gave her a nod.

"Maria, I must ask you a most important question." Loveday said. She was smiling from head to toe and I wondered what she had to say.

"I want you to be my junior bridesmaid for the wedding next week." Wait. Did she really just say next week?

"Of course, but the wedding is next week? Isn't that a little early?" I asked her.

"It may seem like it dear, but everything is ready and planned. I think all that is left to do is get you a dress." Loveday replied.

"Oh my! We can get her a grand new dress from London!" Ms. Heliotrope suggested. I looked over at Loveday, wondering if she would agree to this since she was used to making all my dresses for me. She didn't say no, though she did not say yes either. More like she just gave a nod in agreement. Sure enough, two days later, a new dress was delivered to the manor.

"It's here! It's here!" Ms. Heliotrope shouted as she ran to the door. I peeked around a column as she opened the doors to the manor. She brought in a big brown package and tore it open before I had even gotten over to her.

"Ms. Heliotrope I don't mean to be a nag but shouldn't I get to open the package?" I said. She laughed as she realized what she had done. She smiled and backed away from the package. I tore open the rest of the wrapping and pulled out a midnight blue colored dress.

"The midnight blue is the main color of the wedding." Loveday said as she came up behind me to look at the dress.

"Oh Loveday thank you so much!" I said as I gave her a big hug. I took the dress upstairs to my bedroom and put it on my mannequin. I had a hard time believing that Loveday would have approved of this dress. It was so "Londonized" which was totally opposite of her style. I smiled as I got an idea. I started ripping certain parts of cloth off the dress as I transformed it into a Moonacre dress. It was the day before the wedding, and I was almost done with the dress after much sewing and ripping.

"Maria! Can I come in?" It was Loveday. I grabbed the dress off the mannequin and hid it under the bed so that she wouldn't see it. I wanted the dress to be a surprise at the wedding.

"Come in, Loveday!" I said to her.

"I have a surprise for you!" She said as he came in.

"What is it?" I asked her. She grabbed my hands and led me over to sit down on the bed.

"Your uncle has asked Robin to be a groomsman in the wedding, and he is going to walk you down the aisle!" She said. My eyes shot wide open. Robin? Walking me down the aisle? How come I had a feeling I was going to mess this up. Big time.

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**Well! There is chapter 4! I know it is really short, but this was more of just a filler chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it and I shall surely be updating soon! **

**Shoutouts:**

**Vanessa: Thank you for the sweet review!**

**AmberWolf1049: Thank you! I think that is one of my favorite scenes as well! :) Also, thank you for following and favoriting! **

**Godslover99: Thank you very much for your support! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello my dears! Christmas is only a couple days away! So, here I am with chapter 5 :) I hope you all will enjoy it and I will see you at the bottom of the page!**

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After Loveday had left, I found myself all alone. I was so nervous. Sure enough I would trip and fall into the decorations and knock everything over tomorrow. I tried to forget about it, and instead I continued working on my dress, and I had no clue what time it was.

"I can't believe I sewed that wrong!" I said as I started to talk to myself. The silver skirt ribbon would not stay on my dress. I put down my needle and thread and sat on my bed. All of a sudden I heard my secret passage door start to open. There was not enough time to hide my dress from the unknown visitor.

"It looks fine to me." The voice said. I saw the top of a black hat Robin came through the door holding a tray full of food.

"Oh Robin you aren't suppose to see the dress!" I said as I got up and tried to cover it with my body.

"Well I have already seen it so you might as well just keep working. I guess you forgot about the rehearsal dinner tonight." He said as he sat down with the tray on my bed.

"Oh my goodness the rehearsal dinner! Why didn't someone come and get me?" I asked as I took a roll off the tray.

"Well, Ms. Heliotrope was going to, and then the guests started to arrive. Eventually every person in the manor was occupied with showing people to their rooms for the night. They didn't need me anymore so I thought I would come and check on you." He replied as he started to eat.

"The wedding is less than 24 hours away, and I fear that I won't have the dress done in time." I said as I looked it over. Robin got up off my bed and observed the dress. He picked up my needle and thread and started to sew the ribbon onto the dress. My eyes shot wide open. The big and tough Robin De Noir could sew?! When he was done he stepped back and smiled at me.

"Robin, you can sew?" I asked him as he handed me the needle and thread.

"I learned from Loveday." He said as he sat back down on my bed. For hours we stayed in my room and worked on my dress. Robin would either be helping me, eating, or reading one of my books while I worked.

"I think it's done." I said as I stepped back and admired my work.

"And it's only 1 in the morning." He said with a laugh.

"Is it only?" I asked with a hint of sarcasm. I sat down on my bed and leaned back beside him. I couldn't help but stare at my dress and feel proud that I had gotten it done. The last thing I remembered was looking out my window, and seeing the slightest hint of snow start to flurry from the night sky. Little did I know I had fallen asleep right beside Robin.

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"Wake up sleepy heads!" Loveday said as she came in the room. I woke up and found myself face to face with Robin. I blushed as I realized his arm was around me as well. I sat up and wiped the sleep out of my eyes.

"The wedding is only in a few hours, so Robin you better shew and go get ready!" She said as she waved him out of the room. Loveday was truly beaming with joy about her special day.

"The dress looks lovely, Maria." She said as she sat down on the bed beside me.

"Oh Loveday you weren't suppose to see it until the wedding!" I said. She smiled and got up to look at the fabric.

"I'm glad I got to see it early. How did you know that I didn't like the they way it looked before?"

"Loveday, you are much too simple for you to like a London style dress." I said with a smile.

"Well, get ready. I need to do so myself." She said. I looked at my dress and smiled as I put it on. The fabric was so soft and I really felt beautiful in it. It took the entire time, exactly right up to the wedding to get ready. I ran downstairs as fast I could to get in position. I grabbed my flowers from one of the other bridesmaids and ran up beside Robin.

"I am so sorry if I am late. I kind of got a little behind on my timing." I replied.

"You are just in time. I was told we were starting within 5 minutes." I took a deep breath, but realized that the worst was not over. I still had to get through the entire wedding without messing it up. The trumpets started to play, and the grand doors opened up. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

"Here goes nothing." I whispered to myself.

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**Well, there is chapter 5! Will Maria make it through the wedding without something going wrong? Well, you will just have to wait and see! Remember to R and R and follow/favorite!**

**Shoutouts: **

**Amberwolf1049: Yesss :)**

**Cristi: Thank you very much, and I will continue to write :)**

**Guest: Oh my goodness your reviews made my day :) I am so glad that you like the story! Also, thank you for the compliments. It makes me so happy to know that I am a good writer! :) Keep reading my dear!**

**Jezebel9991: Thank you so much for favoriting my story!**

**Well, that is all for tonight! Until next time my dears! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello everyone! I hope all you wonderful viewers had a great Christmas! Here I am back with chapter 6 of Moonacre :) I hope you enjoy it and I will see you at the bottom of the page!**

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I looked up at Robin and saw him smiling. I smiled back and we began to walk down the long aisle. I tried to focus on something else, so I wouldn't become conscious of my walking. I felt my feet becoming shaky, but I regained my balance so that I wouldn't trip. I saw my Uncle start to come into sight over several large vases of flowers. I relaxed as I broke away from Robin and stood over with the other bridesmaids. I looked over and saw the doors start to open once again, and then Loveday stepped into the light, the light that she most definitely deserved. Her white dress was long and flowed behind her as she walked. She had little hints of detailing of the midnight blue color that was on my own dress.

"She looks so beautiful." I whispered to Ms. Heliotrope. She nodded in agreement and gave my hand a tight squeeze. Uncle looked stunned when Loveday approached the alter and stood in front of him. The ceremony didn't last long, but the memories of it would last forever.

"You may kiss the bride." The preacher said. Uncle kissed Loveday's shining rose colored lips and they exited with nothing but smiles on both of their faces. Something that my Uncle had that I didn't know existed until Loveday came along. The bridesmaids exited behind them one by one, and when we were leaving I had noticed something different about Robin.

"Robin...your hat." I said as we left the wedding ceremony.

"What about it?" He asked.

"You aren't wearing it." I replied. It was true. Robin's famous black bowler hat was missing. His head seemed quite lonely without it. Every guest now gathered outside in the garden, which was now transformed into a reception area, for a meal, dancing, and cake. I sat down at our designated table and took a deep breath. The sun was shining bright and everyone was cheery. Even the De Noir clan members were happy to be here. I jumped up from the table and ran over to Loveday and Uncle while they weren't being swarmed with greeters.

"Congratulations! Everything was beautiful!" I said as I hugged them both at the same time.

"And you made a wonderful bridesmaid!" Loveday replied. Uncle kissed my hand and then went to talk to more of the guests. Music started to play, signaling that it was time for the couple's first dance. I watched as Uncle and Loveday glided on the dance floor, and I soon found myself swaying along with the music.

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**ROBIN'S POV**

The ceremony went better than expected. My sister looked absolutely lovely and Maria was practically glowing in the dress she had made. After lots of food and cake that were now devoured, I watched as Loveday and Sir Benjamin danced along to the music. Loveday caught my glance and came over to me.

"Ask Maria to dance! She's just swaying to the music all by herself." She said to me. My eyes opened wide. She smiled at me and went back to her dance. I slowly walked over to Maria, and swallowed in nervousness.

"Enjoying the music, princess?" I asked as I stood beside her.

"Oh yes. It was one of my favorite songs back in London."

'Would you like to dance?" I managed to say somehow. She smiled and nodded in reply. We joined the happy couple on the dance floor and glided along to the music.

"I didn't know you could dance, Robin." She said as the song was about to end.

"Loveday taught me to dance before she was banished." I replied. When the song ended I gave her a bow, and before I could even look up she was being swooped away by another man. Maria was indeed a beautiful girl, and it shouldn't have surprised me that other boys were starting to notice her.

"Robin, that Merryweather girl is an amazing dancer." My friend Daniel said as he came up beside me. (Daniel was the one that pointed out Maria's blue ribbon when we found it stuck on a tree branch in the forest.) I said nothing and continued to drink my fruit drink.

"Oh come on, Robin. I think I see a hint of jealousy." He said. I went back to my chair and sat down, now very frustrated.

"Is everything okay, Robin?" Loveday asked as she sat down beside me.

"I suppose." I replied. Loveday looked up and saw Maria surrounded by many of the guys in the De Noir clan.

"Robin, if it makes you feel any better, Maria could have chosen any of the guys from the clan to help her break the curse, but she chose you." She said. Loveday had a good point. All of the guys in the clan knew the forest just as well as I did. I just knew that none of those guys were any good for her.

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**MARIA'S POV**

It was not even sunset yet and I was already sleepy. The guys that approached me today had talked of nothing but hunting. I didn't think I could take anymore of it. I decided that no one would notice if I went inside and stayed in my room for the rest of the night. The manor was so different without the sound of Uncle and Loveday talking by the fire, and Ms. Heliotrope and Digweed rushing around the house to prepare the next days events. I went up the stairs to my room and changed into my nightgown and robe. I heard yelling outside and looked out my window. Fireworks were being shot up into the air, and they exploded into beautiful colors and patterns.

"They are beautiful aren't they." A voice said behind me.

"Oh, Robin. You use that passage at your advantage don't you." I said with a smile.

"I try to." He said. He closed the door behind him and walked over beside me at the window. I realized I was in my nightgown, and let out a shriek of embarrassment.

"Princess you ran around the De Noir kingdom in your undergarments, and you are afraid of me seeing your nightgown and robe?" He said with a laugh. Robin came over and sat down in a chair beside my bed. It wasn't long before Robin and I fell asleep listening to the sound of the fireworks.

_"Come and get me bird-boy!" I said as I ran away from Robin with his hat in my hand. I looked behind me, but the boy was no where to be seen. _

_"Robin?" I asked. I walked further through the forest to try to find him, but I was having no such luck. I found myself back at the Moon Princess' cave and leaned in to look for Robin. All of a sudden I felt a hand on my back as I was pushed inside. I tried to push the door open, but the person on the other side had barred the door shut._

_"Let me out!" I commanded._

_"Not a chance, princess!" The voice said. It was no one that I recognized. I heard a hissing noise and turned around to find a giant lizard lunging at me. I screamed, but I knew it was no use because no one could hear me. The lizard kept swiping at me, and got my arm with one of its claws._

"Maria! Maria! Wake up!" Robin said. My eyes shot wide open and I was breathing heavily.

"Oh, Robin! I just had the most terrible dream! Someone was after me, and a giant lizard scraped my arm with his claws!" I panted. Robin sat down on my bed and tried to calm me down. Loveday, Uncle, and Ms. Heliotrope all heard my screams and came to see what was wrong.

"The lizard scraped your arm?" Ms. Heliotrope asked after I had explained the dream to them.

"Yes!" I replied. My breathing had started to get back into its normal rhythm, but my heart beat was not slowing down any. Robin took my arm in his hand and observed the little blood stains on the sleeve of my nightgown. As he slid the sleeve up, a giant bloody scrape on my arm was revealed.

"Oh, Maria..." Robin said in shock. Loveday rushed down the stairs to get a dishcloth to clean the wound.

"That was not there when I went to bed." I said to everyone. Uncle's face became concerned and Robin seemed more worried than ever. Loveday returned as fast as she could and started to clean up my arm.

"I don't think Moonacre is as safe as I thought." I said.

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**Does Maria's dream mean something? Is there a new threat to Moonacre? There is chapter 6! I hope you all enjoyed it! Chapter 7 will be coming out sometime next week so watch out for that!**

**Shoutouts:**

**musicforeverluver: Thanks! Here is your update for today :)**

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**Well, that is all for tonight! Until next time my dears :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Happy 2014 to all my wonderful viewers and followers! This is going to be a fantastic year! Here is chapter 7 of my story! I hope you all enjoy and I shall see you at the bottom!**

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We all sat there for an hour or so in pure astonishment. The valley hadn't been safe for long, and yet something else was going wrong? Uncle Benjamin and Robin were the most worried of any of us, while Loveday and Ms. Heliotrope were doing their best to stay calm for my sake. By the moonlight that shone in through my bedroom window, we tried to think of every possibility of what could be happening.

"I'm sure there is no reason to worry. Maybe I just scratched myself with my other hand to make those marks." I suggested.

"Maria, that scratch could not have been done with fingernails alone. Especially yours. The cut is much too deep." Loveday replied. It was true. My fingernails were quite short at the moment, so there was no way that I could scratched myself that much. Everyone was getting tired, so I insisted that they all go to bed. We could continue this when it was morning, and especially when everyone was calm and focused.

"I'll stay up with Maria." Robin said. I smiled and thanked him for the company. Everyone left my bedroom to return to their own, and quicker than I expected, Robin and I were alone.

"I have no clue what is going on here." I told Robin as I settled back into my bed, and Robin his chair.

"I just don't understand. I thought once you sacrificed yourself, all was safe. How could there be another threat that we did not know about?" He said.

"Maybe it just stayed too well hidden. Whatever it is is affecting my dreams for right now. Now, whenever I go into a dream, what hurts me there can hurt me here as well."

"I just worry that whatever it is will find it's way out here instead of just in your dreams." Robin had a point. If it wasn't in the real world already, I was sure it would be able to find a way to be. For the rest of the night Robin and I tried to get our minds off of it. The sun wasn't up long before Marmaduke came in and told me that everyone was waiting for Robin and I to come downstairs. I hurried and put a new dress on. Robin and I then ran down the stairs of my tower and met everyone in the piano room.

"Father? What are you doing here?" Robin asked as he met eyes with Coeur De Noir.

"I think I should let Sir Benjamin explain." He said to us. I looked over at my Uncle who seemed worried.

"I think that it is best if Maria not be here until this threat is caught." He said. I was shocked.

"I have to leave Moonacre?!" I said as I ran up to him with a sad gleam in my eye.

"Maria, you know as well as I that if this threat is anywhere in reality, it will come here first to find you. If you are not here, then you are safe." He said. I hugged him tightly, and tears started to flow out of both of our eyes.

"Where shall I go? Surely not back to London, Uncle." I said as I pulled away from the hug. Robin came up and stood beside me.

"Dear that is the only logical place that-"

"Wait Sir Benjamin," Robin interrupted. The entire room turned to face him at that point. "I think I have a better solution so that Maria doesn't have to go back to London." He continued. Coeur De Noir looked over at Uncle, and then went over to stand beside him, so that he could better hear his son as he spoke.

"We're listening, Robin." The Coeur replied.

"The last place that Maria wants to go is back to London, so instead she could stay with us in Loveday's old room! There are tons of people inside and outside of the castle. She would be under constant supervision as well. It's also close enough that you all could come see her if needed, but yet it is a place that no one would expect her to be." Robin explained. I got a little apprehensive about the 'constant supervision' idea, but if it meant that I could still stay within Moonacre boundaries, then it was worth it. The two men sent all of us out of the piano room so that they could discuss the matter. All we could hear from the dining room was the mumbling of their voices.

"What do you think they will decide?" I asked Loveday and Ms. Heliotrope.

"If I know my husband, then he will only do what is best for your safety my dear." Loveday replied as she put her hand on mine.

"Oh yes, of course! Maria dear you musn't worry." Ms. Heliotrope added. Robin didn't say a word. He seemed to be too busy pacing around the room, and thinking as well.

"Robin? Are you alright?" I said as I got up out of my chair and stopped the boy from pacing.

"I'm thinking of where to search first for this thing." Robin said as he pushed past me and continued to pace.

"Robin, first of all we have to figure out if this thing is even real! It might just be something in my dreams at this point." I said. He walked out of the dining room and I couldn't help but follow him through the manor.

"Maria it must be real! Nothing can just stay in your head like that all day until you go into a dream at night." He tried to explain. It wasn't clear the way he said it, but I understood what he was trying to get across.

"Fine, Robin. I will admit that I believe it is real." I replied.

"Thank you. That is why I must find it and make it suffer." He added as he turned down another hallway. I stopped in my steps with my mouth dropped to the floor. I ran to catch up with his attitude.

"Robin! You can't just go catch this thing by yourself! It may hurt you as well!" I said as I ran in front of him and stopped. He had that look on his face, and I knew that look anywhere. He was showing the same face that he gave me when he tried to capture me in the woods after I freed Serena. He was determined to capture this thing at all costs, no matter what it took.

"Well, I have to try!" He proclaimed.

"At least take back up." I ended. I knew he would not let this go, so I tried to offer him a compromise. As soon as I said the last word I heard our names being called. We went back to the dining room to find that the men had finished their discussion.

"Robin, I think that it's a great idea. Maria, we would be happy to have you." Coeur De Noir said. Robin sighed in relief and finally sat down in one of the chairs.

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**ROBIN'S POV**

Maria would be safe. Yes. She would be. I was relieved that I would not have to worry about her every night now. I would have her right under my nose if anything went wrong.

"Thank you father." I said to him. Maria smiled and patted my shoulder as she sat down beside me. It wasn't until a few moments later, while everyone was discussion arrangements, that I wondered why I cared so much. My entire life was filled with nothing but training to take down the princess once and for all, and now it was filled with trying to protect her at all costs. Maria listened intently as her Uncle gave her the "do list" and the "don't list". Maria, under my supervision, would be transported to the castle the next morning. I decided to stay with her again that night, so that she wouldn't be alone if she had another nightmare.

"Are you sure you are going to be alright in that chair tonight, Robin?" She asked as she pulled the covers over her that night.

"Oh don't worry about me, princess." I said with a smile. I sat and watched as the confident red-haired girl slept soundly. I was determined to take out whatever this beast was. Nobody hurts the Moon Princess.

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**Well, there is chapter 7! I hope you all enjoyed it :) School starts up again soon, so I will try to update as soon as I can! Remember to R and R and also follow/favorite!**

**Shoutouts:**

**darkqueenofnight: I am so glad you are liking it! Keep on reading! :)**

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**AGhostsWhisper: Haha sorry if the email was a bit late! I had finally gotten inspiration so I finished and posted the chapter :) And the dance scene was my favorite of that chapter as well! Thank you so much for your continued feedback!**

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**Well, that is all for tonight! Until next time my dears!**


	8. Chapter 8

**BONUS CHAPTER! What's a better way to start off the new year than with an early chapter? Here is chapter 8 of one of my favorite stories! I hope you love it and I will see you at the bottom! :)**

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I only woke up once during the middle of the night, and thank goodness it wasn't because of a nightmare. Robin had fallen out of his chair and onto to floor, making a big banging sound. I quickly sat up, but soon noticed that Robin hadn't woken up. He still slept soundly, face down on my floor.

"Robin, I told you that chair wasn't good for you to sleep in!" I said as I got up from my bed and tried to wake him up. Robin must have been a sound sleeper, because no matter how much I said his name, or how much I shook him, he would not wake up. I took the bird boy's arm and dragged him to the foot of my bed. His feet hung off the side, but it was better than the chair.

"I'm sure no one will mind if Robin stays there for the rest of the night." I said to myself. I crawled back into my bed and went back to sleep.

"Maria, dear! Time to wake up." Loveday said as she woke me up. I slowly opened my eyes and found that Robin was still at the foot of my bed.

"Might I ask why my brother is sleeping there?" She asked as she sat down on my bed beside me.

"He fell out of the chair last night, and I couldn't bear to just leave him on the cold floor." I replied. I reached over to my bedside table and took one of Marmaduke's cookies that he left for me.

"Well, thank you for taking care of him." She said as she layed a dress out for me. With a kiss on my forehead, she left the room so that I could get ready for the day.

"Robin. Robin it's time to get up!" I said as I shook the boy as hard as I could.

"I'm up, I'm up. Why am I on your bed?" He asked as he sat up and pushed his curly brown locks out of his face.

"You fell out of your chair last night so I put you at the foot of my bed." I said. He smiled and stretched. When we were both ready we headed downstairs to the dining room for breakfast. It wasn't until I stepped down the last step that I realized that that was the last night I would sleep in my bed for a while, and this would be the last of Mamaduke's cooking for a while. I greeted my family and sat down in my favorite chair to eat.

"Oh, my dear Maria, we are sure going to miss you while you are away." Uncle said as he handed me my breakfast.

"I will miss you all as well. It will take time to get used to not seeing you every single day. I guess I should have started to pack my things last night so that I would have more time with you all this morning." I said with a laugh. We all ate our meals and soon enough the carriage had arrived to take Robin and I to the De Noir castle. I ran upstairs to my tower and packed all the things I would need while I was away. With suitcases in hand, I stood at the small door and took in the sight of my bedroom that I would miss so terribly. Slowly, I walked down the tower steps, and headed down to the main room. When I came down the grand staircase, all my family and friends, including Wralph, had gathered to tell me goodbye. Robin took my suitcases from me so I could hug each person.

"Remember to visit their library and study as much as you can, oh, and be safe my dear." Ms. Heliotrope said with a big hug.

"I will." I replied.

"Go into my closet when you get there and there is a surprise for you in there." Loveday said.

"We will come see you as often as we can." Uncle added. I gave them both a hug and said goodbye.

"No cooking is going to be as good as yours Marmaduke." I said to the small man. He smiled and fixed his hat.

"Take care little princess." He said. I went over to Wralph and gave him a hug as well. He gave a little whimper and nuzzled into me, which would only make me miss him more. I headed outside and climbed into the black carriage. As we started to move I looked out the window and waved goodbye to my loving family.

"I am going to miss them." I told Robin as I sat back down in my seat beside him. He took my hand and pushed a piece of hair out of my face.

"At least you will be safe." He said. The carriage ride seemed to last an eternity, but according to Robin it was only a half hour ride. The last time I had been to the De Noir castle I was tossed in the dungeons and made fun of my the clan members. I wondered if any of them would still have hard feelings toward me, even now that the curse was broken.

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**ROBIN'S POV**

It wasn't long before the castle came into view, and a smile appeared on my face. Home was a much more pleasant place to be now that my father's temper was out of the way. I looked over at Maria, who was clutching one of her bags as tight as she could. Her last visit wasn't so nice, especially when we tossed her in the cold, wet dungeons.

"Robin, do you think that everyone will accept me more now?" She asked as we pulled through the gates.

"I think everyone will adore you now that the curse is broken." I said. The carriage pulled up to the front and we both climbed out.

"Robin, you're back!" My friend Cody said as I closed the door to the carriage. I went up and gave him a friendly pat on the back.

"Why did you bring that little witch here." He said as he saw Maria standing by the carriage.

"Cody she is not a witch. She saved this valley and everyone in it. You should really be nicer to her." I said. I turned around and saw that Maria was still clutching her bag. I helped her with the rest of her bags and led her inside.

"Father will like to see that you have arrived." I told he. I could see the nervousness in her eyes as we entered the castle. Memories flooded back to me from the time that she snuck in, and I was sure that they were coming back to her as well. I handed Maria's bags to one of the servants so that they would be in Loveday's room when she went in there.

"Father!" I said as I entered the dining room. I realized that Maria was not behind me, and soon found that she was still standing at the top of the steps. I took her hand and assured her that everything was okay. We went down the stairs together and approached my father, who was eating his lunch.

"Ah, Robin and Maria! I am glad that you made it here safely." He said as he gave me a hug. Maria gave a small curtsy and thanked him for letting her stay here.

"Good to be back father." I replied. He sat back down in his chair and took a bite of chicken.

"If you are hungry feel free to get some food from the kitchen. If not, perhaps Robin could give you a tour." My father said to Maria.

"I would appreciate a tour." She said with a smile. She started to perk up, which made me perk up as well.

"Very well then." I replied. Father went back to his lunch, so Maria and I were free to go where we wish. We walked around through the various halls and I pointed out the main places she needed to know.

"Over to your right is the library. We have lots of books, so anything Ms. Heliotrope wants you to study you will most likely find." I said as I opened the door to the room. Book shelves surrounded the area and in the middle of the room was a piano. Maria was excited when she saw the piano, and that was the first thing she ran to.

"Oh, Robin! It's absolutely lovely!" She said as she sat down on the bench. I started to play for her, but then Cody thought differently.

"Robin you are not seriously boring the poor girl with the piano are you?" He asked. I took Maria's hand and without a word to him we went to another section of the castle. Maria stopped as we came to the end of the hallway and were face to face with a small wooden door.

"Robin. I appreciate this tour, but I believe I have already seen what's down there." Maria said with a laugh.

"Yes I don't see a need to go down there again." I replied. The next stop was going to be Loveday's room, and I couldn't wait to see Maria's reaction when she stepped in the door.

"Now this is where you will be staying, also known as Loveday's room." I said. She smiled and I pushed open the door. She had a look on her face that I had not seen before. A look of pure amazement and fascination.

"Oh, Robin! It's beautiful!" She said. The room was a light blue color, much like her room back at the manor, and it contained navy blue fabrics and gold detailing. She went over to the window that was by the vanity and pulled the curtains opened. The room brightened up immediately, and Maria brightened as well as she saw the view of the forest. There was something that I was curious of though. What was this surprise Loveday had mentioned that was in the closet?

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**What's in the closet? Do you think you know? I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Remember to R and R and follow/favorite! I will be back with chapter 9 as soon as I have some time to update :)**

**Shoutouts: **

**FrozenForForever: I was the exact same way! As soon as I saw the movie I became totally obsessed :) Thank you so much for your support and I hope you continue to read! Thank you for following and favoriting as well!**

**Meggiemoo365: Thank you for following and favoriting! I appreciate the support very much! :)**

**Well, I hope you liked it! Until next time my dears! :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello everyone! So sorry about the long wait! My fanfic account had an error. Anyway, here ****I am back with chapter 9! Remember to R and R and follow/favorite as well. I hope you all enjoy it and I shall see you at the bottom of the page!**

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Loveday's room was more beautiful than I had expected. The wall color reminded me much of my room back home, and all of a sudden I became homesick. I had only been at the De Noir castle for an hour or so, and I was going to be here much longer than just an hour, so I had to try to find some way to get through it.

"So, do you need any help unpacking?" Robin asked as he sat down on the bed.

"I think I am alright." I said as I grabbed one of my cases and put it on the bed.

"I'm just curious about this. What do you think is the surprise Loveday was saying was in the closet?" He asked. I looked over at the wooden door in the corner of the room and smiled.

"I don't know, but I am going to find out, so go stand outside." I said. He didn't seem like he wanted to move, so I took his hat and tossed it out the door for him to go get. I laughed at the boy as he actually got up to go get his hat. When he stepped outside and picked it up I shut the door in his face.

"You know, I believe I will just stand right here." He said. I laughed at his comment and went over to the closet. I slowly opened the door and looked inside. There in front of my eyes was a beautiful dress dress hung up, and along with it was a note.

_Dear Maria,  
You are such a wonderful niece, and I love you as if you were my own daughter. The dress that you see before you was mine when I was your age. It was one of my favorite dresses, and I hardly ever took it off. I know this isn't probably the surprise you were thinking it would be, but I hope you like it all the same. We will be thinking about you every day while you are away. We will come see you as soon as we can.  
All of my love, Loveday._

I smiled as I read the note. When I looked at the dress, I could see Loveday wearing it. It was a bright red color, much like the style of my Moon Princess dress. The dress had a small train connected to the back of it, but yet it was long enough that it was stylish. The dress, also, had navy blue and and silver details along the skirt. I threw off the dress I was wearing and changed into the new one.

"Are you going to let me in any time soon." Robin said as I tied the ribbon of the dress. I opened the door to let Robin see the results.

"Woah..." Was his response. I smiled and waved the skirt around with my hands.

"Do you like it?" I asked him as I let him come back into the room. He sat down, once again, on the bed and looked me over.

"Yeah, definitely. I remember when Loveday wore that dress. She would wear it all the time right before she was exiled by my father." He said. I finished unpacking all of my suitcases and we headed outside to take a tour of the grounds. We stayed in the town area most of the day, and we had made it to our last stop by the time the sun had gone down.

"Last, but not least, this is the main garden." He said as he opened the iron gate and lit his lantern for light. The flowers were all in boom and seemed to sparkle in the moonlight.

"It's beautiful, Robin." I replied as I smelled one of the flowers. He smiled to me and handed me a bright red rose.

"The garden used to be full of dead flowers and bushes, but once the curse was broken, father insisted the gardener have it renovated." He explained. We walked through the maze of plants, and Robin, having his knowledge of the forest, pointed out all the different varieties. All of a sudden, the silence of the night was broken by a hissing sound.

"Maria? Did you hear that sound?" Robin asked as he stopped his footsteps. I listened closer to the sound and it started to become louder.

"I do hear that." I replied. I took the lantern from Robin, and I walked out of the garden and towards the sound of the noise. It was coming from the edge of the forest. I looked back into the tall trees and could see nothing but darkness. I stopped when I realized there was something wrapped around my foot. When I looked down I spotted a green vine that was wrapping itself around my leg at a rapid pace. I gasped as the vine pulled me down to the ground and started to drag me towards the forest.

"Robin! Help me!" I screamed. I heard his footsteps running towards me, and he had picked up the lantern just in time to see me being dragged away.

"This vine has got me wrapped up too tightly! I can't pull my leg away!" I said as I dug my fingernails into the ground and tried to stop myself. Robin ran behind me as fast as he could and stepped on the vine with his foot. He pulled out his pocket knife and tried to cut me free. When the vine was cut, the other half retreated, without my leg attached to it. I was breathing rapidly, and felt like I was going to pass out.

"Oh, Maria. Your leg is bleeding!" Robin said with a scare. He quickly scooped me up and ran back to the castle to find his father.

"Father! Maria is hurt!" He said as he bursted through the doors of the dining room. All of the men stood up when we came in, and some went to go find wet cloth for my bleeding leg.

"What happened boy?!" The Coeur said as Robin layed me down on the floor.

"We were in the garden, and we heard a hissing sound, so Maria went to go see what it was. She screamed for help, and when I came over to her a vine had wrapped around her leg and was dragging her into the forest. I cut the vine with my knife, and the other half withdrew back into the forest." Robin explained. Several nurses ran over to me and wrapped my leg up.

"Are you alright, princess?" Robin asked as he dabbed my forehead with a wet cloth.

"I believe so, but I must say that I am quite shaken up." I replied. I tried to sit up off the floor, but my leg was burning with too much pain to allow me to do so.

"Miss, you musn't put too much pressure on that leg for a while. It is cut quite deeply and you lost a good bit of blood due to the size of the cut." A nurse said to me. I looked over at Robin, who was giving me a look of worry.

"Mr. De Noir, what do you think it was that got me?" I asked him, trying to get some answers on the situation. He shook his head and crossed him arms.

"I don't know my dear, but whatever it was was specifically trying to get you." He said. Robin scooped me up once again and took me to my room. I buried my head into his leather jacket and let a few tears slip down my cheek. When we got to my room, Robin gently put me down on the bed.

"Robin, am I in danger?" I asked him as he sat down beside me. He looked at me and sighed deeply, trying to decide what to tell me.

"Maybe, and maybe not, but try not to worry for tonight. Whatever that thing is can't get you when you are in here." He replied.

"Knock, knock." A voice said from outside my door. Robin and I looked at the door, expecting it be a nurse to help me get ready for bed, but it was not.

"Hello, Rob-. Cody?" I said as I saw the black haired boy standing in my doorway. My smiled faded immediately.

"Glad to see you too little princess." He said. I was in no mood to see this boy after what he had said to me today, especially after the whole episode that happened tonight. His attempt to act respectful to me in the piano room was just a cover up.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him as he came into the room.

"I wanted to apologize for what I said this afternoon when you arrived. It was wrong of me, and I should have been more respectful to the beautiful girl who saved our lives." He said with a smile. Maybe he really was trying to make amends with me. Robin didn't seem convinced.

"Thank you. I appreciate it." I replied. He nodded and left my room, shutting the door behind him. That was a strange visit. If he wanted to say he was sorry, then why didn't he just tell me earlier instead of at almost midnight? I debated whether I should give him a second chance or not, because this whole situation seemed questionable. I was not going to worry myself over it, for now. Robin left me for a bit while he went to go find a nurse. Soon enough I had the mud stained dress off of me, and the comforting night gown was put on.

"Does that feel better?" Robin said as he came back into the room.

"Much thank you." I replied. He started to leave, but I quickly stopped him.

"Thank you for saving me today. Without your help I don't know what would have happened to me." I said. He kissed me forehead gently and whispered 'goodnight' into my ear. I tried not to worry myself over the events of the day. That would not help my leg get any better. Slowly my eyes started to close, and I fell asleep to the image of the bright red rose, sitting in a vase on my nightstand.

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**So, what do you think the vine thing was about? Do you think you know? I hope you enjoyed chapter 9 of this story! Remember to leave reviews and follow/favorite this story!**

**Shoutouts:**

**AmberWolf1049: Well, if you are reading this I am assuming you read chapter 8 and 9 :) Thank you for the compliments! I am so lucky to have such wonderful viewers such as yourself!**

**Hollywood35: Thank you for favoriting this story! **

**Guest: I was hoping someone would notice Cody's change, and I am glad to know that you are one of them! Cody is going to be in the later chapters quite a bit, so I hope that you keep reading!**

**Nelly2560: I am glad you like the story and my writing! Thank you, also, for following and favoriting the story, and me as well! I appreciate the support! :)**

**Well, chapter 10 will be out soon, so keep an eye out for that! I'd say that is all for today! Until next time my dears! :)**


	10. Chapter 10

** Hello everyone! Sorry for the late update! I have been sewing a Wendy Darling dress for character day coming up soon and it has taken up a good bit of my time :) Is the story getting good yet? I hope so! Here is chapter 10! I hope you all love it! Remember to R and R and follow/favorite as well :) See you at the bottom of the page!**

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I could feel the pain and burning of my leg through the night. The nurse would periodically check in me through the night, but it still did not feel better the slightest. I couldn't do anything without assistance, not even go to the bathroom. Why? Because I couldn't even put any weight on that leg whatsoever.

"Miss Maria if you stay still I shall change the bandage for you." The nurse said the third visit that night. She pulled the covers off of my legs and slowly unwound my bandage. I didn't want to look at it. I was sure it was most likely a bloody mess down there. I tried to sleep for the rest of the night, and thankfully I had some luck.

"Time to wake up, princess!" Robin said as he came into my room. I opened my eyes as wide as they could go since I was just waking up. I sat up and smiled at the bird boy as he came in my room.

"Oh, Robin, you didn't have to bring me breakfast." I said as he sat a plate of food down in front of me.

"Well, it seemed appropriate considering your situation." He replied. Considering my leg was the way it was, I was actually pretty happy, and I guess Robin noticed, too.

"To be in your current predicament I have to admire your spirit." Robin said with a huge grin on his face. I laughed, realizing that he had quoted the same words from one of our first conversations. After I had finished I started to get up, totally forgetting I couldn't quite do that anymore by myself. Robin helped me get up and then he had someone else come to get me ready for the day. When I was ready I was trying my hardest to learn to hop on one foot.

"Are you sure you don't me to just carry you around?" Robin offered.

"I think I can get it." I said as I picked up the skirt of my dress with my right hand. I lost my balance a couple times, and it frustrated Robin to the point that he grabbed my other arm to help me balance.

"Well, I have a surprise for you Miss Maria." Robin's father said when we got downstairs. The two men took one hand each and led me over to the main doors. When the doors opened I found Loveday standing outside with a big grin on her face.

"Loveday!" I said as I stumbled and eventually fell into her arms. She hugged me back with a tight grip, and all of a sudden, her grin disappeared.

"What happened to you?" She asked as she helped me back inside the castle Robin looked at me, and then explained the whole ordeal to his sister. Loveday seemed perplexed, and worried as well.

"I wish Benjamin could have come to hear about all of this, but he had some business to attend to back at the manor. Why did this happen?" She asked her father. The Coeur shrugged his shoulders and led her into the dining room to further discuss the matter.

"Robin? Do you think we will ever figure out whats happening?" I asked the boy standing beside me. He smiled and hoisted me up on his back for a ride.

"Well, princess. It's hard to say, but no worries. We have the best men working on the job." He said as he walked me into the dining room with the others.

"Who might be these men be?" I asked him.

"Your Uncle, my father, and me of course." He said with a grin.

"Oh, so you are joining in as well?" I said with a laugh.

"Princess, you know if anyone can figure this out, it's going to be me." He said. I bopped him on the head to be funny, but in return he spun around over and over to make me dizzy.

While Robin, his father, Loveday, and their clan members had a meeting, I was resting comfortably in my room staring out of my window.

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**ROBIN'S POV**

"Men, we have absolutely no choice, if we do not find the source to these issues then they will only get worse. My father said as he slammed his fist on the table. Everyone in the clan had different ideas on what to do about this "beast" that was attacking Maria. Some wanted to plunge right in after it, and some thought it best to stay away and observe what they do next. I sat there, not saying a word. If I knew these guys like I thought I did, it would take them hours to come to a decision.

"May I say something?" I finally said after getting tired of hearing their arguing. Every man in the room went silent.

"What is it, Robin?" My father asked.

"There is a simple solution. We keep Maria inside the castle, if something happens to her while she is here, we know it is someone within our own castle. If not, then we will know it's an outside source. When we know the results, we can go from there." I said. The men discussed among themselves, and then my father stood up.

"I am impressed boy. We will do as you have suggested. I'm leaving you in charge of Maria. She is to be watched at all times, and she is definitely not allowed to leave the castle, at least for a week or so. If she remains unharmed, we will start searching, but if she is harmed in any way, then everyone will be questioned." He said. This challenge would prove to be difficult. Maria was such a high-spirited, independent girl. How was she going to be able to stay in confinement that long, even if it was just a week?

"Yes, father." I said. Maria was not going to be happy when she heard about this.

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**Will Robin's plan prove to be effective? I hope you enjoyed chapter 10! Remember to R and R and follow/favorite as well!**

**Shoutouts:**

**AmberWolf1049: I wish I could have updated right then! Sorry about the long wait! Also, I feel so wonderful knowing that I was able to grap your attention :)**

**Nelly2560: It gave me goosebumps as well as I wrote it! I was starting to get worried about Maria haha :) I am so glad you enjoyed it! **

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**Well, I will update as soon as possible! Until next time my dears :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello everyone! I am so sorry for the super late update! It has been kind of crazy around here lately! Anyway, here I am back with chapter 11 of this story! I hope you love it and remember to R and R and follow/favorite! I shall see you at the bottom of the page!**

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**ROBIN'S POV**

I was specifically being slow as I made my way up to Maria's bedroom. I kept going over in my head what I was going to say to her. She was surely going to be unhappy when she found out her fate for the next couple of weeks. When I came to her doorway I hesitated on knocking, but I eventually got the courage to knock on the wooden door.

"Come in!" She shouted. I took a deep breath and went inside.

"Hello, Robin! It is such a beautiful day today isn't it? How about we go out for a stroll later?" She suggested as she tried to get up from the chair by her window. I grabbed her hand and led her over to her bed where she could put her foot up.

"I don't think we should do that today, princess. Your leg is still in the quite fragile stage." I said trying to avoid the subject. She had a perplexed look on her face, and then it faded into a frown.

"How did the meeting go? What did they decide?" She said.

"That is actually what I came to talk to you about. Everyone thinks it best that you stay within the castle for a week or so. By doing that we can determine whether the source of these issues are in the castle or not. " I explained. Maria's face went blank.

"Stay in the castle? I can't go outside at all?" She asked. I tried to tell her that it was all for the better, but she still did not seem happy.

"How about I come back in a little bit and we go find something to do." I said as I tried to lift her head up and make her smile. She nodded and I left the red haired girl sitting on her bed, disappointed, and I hated leaving her disappointed.

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**MARIA'S POV**

I can't believe that Robin is making me stay inside the castle. What is there to do in a deep and dark castle? I took a big sigh and fell back onto my bed. I was not good with confinement.

"Maria! May I come in my dear?" Loveday said as she knocked on my bedroom door.

"Yes, come in." I replied. Loveday came in with a big smile and sat down beside me on the bed.

"Wow, I haven't been in this room for many years. I was about your age when my father banished me. I had no time to say goodbye to this room. I spent more time in here than probably any teenager spends in their room." She said as she observed the room.

"Why did you spend so much time in here?" I asked her.

"Well, when my mother died, father became very brutal and angry most of the time. He could blow up into a bonfire within seconds. I tried to stay out of the way as much as I could so I could avoid the flames, and I ended up staying in here almost all day, everyday. I would write, draw, look out my window, and sometimes I would just dream." She explained. I smiled as she took my hand in hers.

"Maria, I know you love to be out in the forest, and I know you love to be free, but when it comes to your safety, then that comes first. I don't want you to get hurt again. Please try to understand the situation my dear." Loveday said gently.

"I understand, Loveday." I said with a half smile.

"That is wonderful. Now, I better leave before Robin comes back. I believe he is going to try to put some fun into your day." She said. When she closed the door to my room, I looked around to see what there was to do until Robin came back. I had decided that I was going to try to put weight on my wounded leg. It had been many hours since the accident, and the leg had done nothing but rest all day. I slowly got up from my leg and put my good leg on the floor. After taking a deep breath, I slowly let my wounded leg go flat on the ground. Instead of being able to walk, I felt a shooting pain spiral throughout my body. The pain was worse than when I had originally injured my leg. I was on my bedroom floor, squeezing my eyes shut to try to get my mind off the pain that I was experiencing. My mouth opened to scream for help, but no words came out. I heard footsteps coming down the hall, and I prayed it was Robin coming for me.

"Robin!" I finally screamed. The footsteps walked faster and eventually burst through my door.

"Maria! Your leg is swelling!" He yelled. He ran over and slid on the floor beside me. When he moved the skirt of my dress that was on my leg, I could see how bad the condition was. My leg was swelled up and my foot was very pale from the lack of blood circulation. There was something I did not quite understand. After much rest, why did my leg hurt so badly? Shouldn't it start to feel even a tiny bit better by now? Robin scooped me up into his arms and held me close.

"It's alright, princess. Just hold on tight to me. Everything will be alright." He kept repeating to try to calm me down. Nurses followed behind Robin and I as we made our way downstairs to the parlor where Loveday and Coeur De Noir were sure to be. Robin kicked the door open with his foot, not wasting time. Loveday and Coeur De Noir stood up as we entered the room, and Loveday motioned for Robin to lay me down on the couch.

"It should feel better by now! Why does it hurt worse?" I said between shots of pain. Three nurses examined my leg while Loveday stroked my head, and while a nervous Robin paced around the room. Coeur De Noir sat back down in his chair and watched as everyone attended to me.

"Father, you don't think the vine injected some kind of poison or venom or something into Maria's leg when it wounded her do you? Loveday asked. Her father lifted his head up as he realized he had never processed the idea.

"I have no clue, my dear. It honestly wouldn't surprise me." He replied.

"It must have been something. She hasn't barely moved that leg all day and because of that, it should be feeling somewhat better, not worse." One of the nurses said to all of us. I saw one of the nurses leave to go get something while the other two continued to look over my leg. When the nurse came back, she poured white powder from a brown packet into a glass of water.

"Drink this, miss. It will be easier to examine your leg if you are relaxed." She said as she handed me the glass. I drank the powder filled water and fell back once again on the couch. Loveday grabbed my hand to help calm me down more, and to help her calm down as well. The pain was intense, and I had no control of it. There was no telling what danger this was inside my body. I looked over at Robin, who looked scared to death. I smiled at the boy and motioned for him to come over to me. Loveday gladly backed out of the way and I grabbed his hand.

"Don't worry, Robin. It will all be okay." I said to him. He squeezed my hand tighter, and now, all we could do is let the nurses look me over, and wait for results.

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**What is wrong with Maria's leg? Is there a poison? Or is it just infected? I hope you enjoyed this chapter of Moonacre! Remember to R and R and follow/favorite too! I will update with chapter 12 sooner than I did with 11 :)**

**Shoutouts: **

**Meggiemoo365: Thank you very much! :)**

**Nelly2560: Well, our little Peter Pan group did get nominated for the contest, but some Harry Potter kids won instead! Oh well! I still thought it all went well anyway :) Thank you for the sweet compliments and I am glad you are liking the story!**

**AmberWolf1049: I am so glad that you like it! Things are just heating up so keep reading!**

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**Well, that is all for tonight everyone! Until next time my dears! **


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello everyone! I hope you are all having a fantastic weekend! Here is chapter 12 of this story, and I hope you love it just as much as I love writing it! See you at the bottom of the page :)**

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The nurses took their time examining my leg, making sure they left no spot unchecked. We all waited patiently as they checked the blood that they had taken from me. I was already nervous enough. My hands were shaking, and so were Robin's as he continued to hold mine. Loveday stood in the corner of the room with her father, trying to contain herself.

"Well, we have examined everything and there does look like there is some poison in your blood. There is no way to get it out medically. All you can do is keep your leg still and it should eventually go away if you don't move it." The nurse said.

"Why would that make it go away?" I asked her a little confused.

"The poison only responds when movement occurs, and because you did a good bit of moving today, that is why it caused so much pain. If you keep your leg still, it should soon go away with very little pain." She said. I took a deep breath, but was still worried. I was not one for staying still. Ms. Heliotrope said I was quite the squirmy one when I was little. The nurses packed up their things and left the room so that we could all talk. Robin sat down beside me, trying to keep himself from bursting with anger.

"Robin, I'm gonna be just-"

"But what if you are not, Maria! Whatever has been hurting you is just getting stronger!" He yelled as he stood up. Loveday walked over to her brother and put her hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged her off and left the room, slamming the door behind him.

"Why is Robin so mad? All I have to do is get rid of this poison and then we will continue the plan as previously discussed." I said to Loveday and Coeur De Noir.

"One thing I have learned about my son, Maria, is that when Robin cares about something or someone, he gets deeply angry if something happens to them." The Coeur said to me.

"My father is right, Maria. Robin has always had so much anger built up in him ever since he was a child, and sometimes things like slamming doors is the only way he knows how to express it." Loveday said.

"I can see that now." I replied.

"Good. Now, I will go after him and make him come back so he can carry you to your room. He seems to be the only one that can lift you." Loveday added with a smile.

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**ROBIN'S POV  
**

I slammed the parlor door behind me as I waltzed out of the room in a rage. It hurt my heart to see Maria in such pain and agony, but I felt more anger towards whatever, or whoever, was doing this to her. I feared that each day that passed, it would keep getting stronger and stronger. I hadn't gotten very far down the hall until I heard the rapid footsteps of high heel shoes behind me. I turned around and saw Loveday running after me.

"Robin! Slow down you idiot!" She yelled at me. I rolled my eyes, but stopped to wait for her.

"What do you want." I said with a frustrated tone.

"Robin why are you being like this? Maria is going to be fine as long as she stays still." Loveday said.

"I know she will be fine, but I am less worried about her current situation than I am about the ones to come. Whatever or whoever this thing is is not going to stop until it gets what it wants, and I fear what it wants is Maria. The source could be right under our noses, even in our own castle, and we might not even know it. Until it is defeated I will not stop worrying about all of this." I told her.

"Robin, I understand that you are concerned. We must all try to work together so that Maria will be constantly watched. Nothing will get her if we all pitch in." She said. I nodded in reply, and she pushed some brown curls out of my face.

"Come on now. Maria can't get to her room on her own, and you are the only one that can carry her." She said. I followed Loveday back to the parlor to get Maria.

"Your chauffeur has arrived, princess." I said as I went to the couch. She reached out her arms and I scooped her up as gently as I could. As we walked through the various halls of the castle I noticed that she was watching me the entire time.

"What are you staring at, princess?" I asked her as I went up some steps.

"Your eyes look so serious." She said. I can honestly say that no one has ever said that to me before.

"Well, this is a serious situation." I responded.

"Yes I know, Robin. So you have told me." She said. I smiled at the petite young women in my arms. I kicked her bedroom door open and gently laid her down on the bed. I started to leave, but she stopped me.

"Robin? Might you stay just a little longer? You have been quite busy lately, and I would like some company after being by myself all day." She said. She was giving me a pitiful face that I couldn't dare say 'no' to. I sat down in the chair beside the bed and gave a big sigh.

"I know at first I did not want to come here, but now I see why it is good for me to be here. I don't think I have properly said this, but thank you for letting me stay here." I told him.

"Think nothing of it princess. Now that the curse is broken and our families are reunited, we must look after each other." I said.

"You know what I find interesting?" She said as she slumped down in her bed.

"What is it?" I asked her.

"One day I find myself running through the forest, trying to escape from you and your family who are out to get me. Then, on a day like today, you are all so kind to me." She said. She made a good point. I had lived a life of learning how to find this girl, capture her, and do away with her, but now all I wanted to do was protect her.

"Well, I think we all secretly wanted to have peace in the valley, but everyone was too blinded by their pride and hate to see it." Maria and I talked for at least an hour or so, and before I knew it, the red-haired beauty had fallen asleep. I smiled when I heard the soft breathing coming from her. I kissed her forehead, blew out the candle on her nightstand, and closed the door quietly behind me. Maybe tonight would hopefully be uneventful.

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**LOVEDAY'S POV**

It was nice to be able to relax after such a day as this. My favorite spot in the castle was the library, where I would spend hours and hours reading books. I pulled my favorite chair over from the corner of the room and sat down. I lit two candles and sat down with my favorite book. It wasn't long before I heard a soft knock at the door. Knowing who it was, I bid them to come in.

"Hello, little brother." I said as Robin came through the door. He sat down in the chair across from me and slumped over, which pushed his hat over his face.

"Is our little patient asleep?" I asked. I saw a small blush come across his face, and all he did was nod in response.

"Robin is there anything you want to talk about?" I asked as I put my book over on the side table. He sat back up in the chair and put his hat back into its usual position.

"What do you mean by that." He said.

"You and Maria seem to be getting particularly close." I said with a grin.

"Oh, Loveday. I know where you are going with this. We are just very close friends and that is all." He replied. I could tell this was not so. Robin never worried about someone as much as he worries about Maria.

"Are you sure Robin? Because you know you can always come to me if you want to talk." I told him.

"Loveday, even if I possibly under any circumstances had feelings for Maria, I don't think I would ever tell her. She can get any man she desires, and I have no clue why she would ever pick me." He said.

"I have no doubt that she would pick you. You are confident and strong and kind, and you have been here for her through this entire thing."

"Even if all of that is true, I tried to kill her! I spent my entire life training just to capture and do away with her! How could she ever love someone who has had a background like that?" He said.

"Maybe so, but she knows that you are not like that anymore. If she had any of the slightest doubt that you had changed, she wouldn't go near you. But as you see, she wants to spend as much time as she can with you." I added. This fact made Robin go silent. He had most likely never thought of that point before.

"All I am saying little brother, is don't throw away the hope you have for her. She is a girl. Girls are hard to figure out. Especially the one up in my bedroom right now." I said.

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**ROBIN'S POV**

Okay so maybe Loveday was right. I might contain a few feelings for Maria. Maybe. Honestly, I don't know yet. She does make me feel different when I am around her, and I do love being able to protect her and be there for her. I know I would go insane if something ever happened to her. The last thing I would want her to be is disappointed in me. Like I had said earlier, she could have any person she wanted. Her beauty is no match for her personality, and how could someone with those qualities want a guy like me? There were some perks to the situation though. She would always be taken care of, and her family would be right down the road if she ever needed anything. Nothing could harm her while she was here, and she would make a wonderful De Noir. Snap out of it, Robin! This is Maria we are talking about. The Moon Princess of Moonacre Valley.

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**Well, I really wanted to add a lot more Robin and Maria fluff, so I splurged and did just that. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, because I had a blast writing it! Remember to R and R and follow/favorite!**

**Shoutouts: **

**Meggiemoo365: I can definitely see that you are addicted! Here is chapter 12 which you have been waiting so long to read! I hope you loved it! :)**

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**AmberWolf1049: Haha I agree that my chapters need to be longer! I tried to make this chapter a little longer for you so that it took more time to read. I hope you liked it and I can't wait to hear your feedback! :)**

**Nelly2560: I know, it hurt me when I realized Maria would have to go through this, but I thought it was time for a little action in the story. Thank you very much for the compliment! I hope you liked this chapter as well :)**

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**Well, I belive that is all until the next chapter! Until next time my dears :)**


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